Today, the CURA Transport Management System is already up and running for a number of major players such as SERIS, Essity, Bekaert and Kuehne + Nagel. It is therefore an ideal solution with which an experienced profile like Bart can certainly get started! We sat around the virtual table with him and asked him about his motives and how he experienced his first month at CURA Solutions.

I have already been very warmly welcomed here! It is very nice to see how a relatively small and motivated team succeeds in putting such a qualitative story on the market. Everyone here is passionate about it and it shows. In any case, it is important to have passion for what you do every day, otherwise you will not keep it up.

Bart knows what he is talking about, because he comes from an entrepreneurial family: “My parents were the second generation owners of a wholesale company in the food industry. So I was already active in the company from a very young age. Work was done every holiday, every weekend, every free moment. That drive and that work ethic is still something that’s typical about me today. You commit to something and you go for it 110%!”

Entrepreneurial blood and passion for logistics

The family business was eventually sold, which meant that Bart had to look for a new direction and thus ended up in the logistics sector: “It already started with my choice of study,” says Bart. “I then came into contact with the logistics world and it immediately appealed to me. Logistics is a broad field, that is very interesting and so I was sold. I even did an international internship in Finland at Nokia, during the heyday of the first popular mobile phones. I liked that so much and I quickly landed my first job. Subsequently, I gained logistics experience at all levels. At Danone I learned the ins and outs of their warehouse. I was immersed in the logistics processes as operational manager of various logistics sites at Fiege, Kuehne-Nagel and Ceva, to name just a few.”

“Up until now I have actually had three important focus points throughout my career: you have the logistics engineering story, in which I literally had to design and implement buildings and processes for logistics sites. Then there’s the operational story, in which I have managed the operationas of various logistics sites and finally there is the strategic story in which I helped draw out the vision and main strategy, often in direct collaboration with the CEO.”

Supporting SMEs: CURA Solutions

“At one point I decided to become an independant consultant,” says Bart. “On the one hand because I wanted to create space to choose my own projects. And on the other hand because I did not just wanted to focus on managing my own logistics site, for example, but also because I want to help develop SMEs at a strategic level. Via Weerts, a big name in the logistics world, I ended up at Lander Vanwelkenhuyzen, who has many interesting companies in the group with RiskMatrix, such as the innovative DroneMatrix but also, to my surprise, a logistics software supplier in the form of CURA Solutions.”

What is strong about this solution is that after implementation, you will earn it back in less than a year.

“I know the logistics world like the back of my hand, if I may say that after 20 years in the business”, Bart smiles. “That is why CURA immediately struck me positively. There are some Yard / Transport Management Systems, but what makes CURA unique is the link between the entire warehousing process on the one hand and the effective transport and interplay between the two on the other. Most of the solutions I’ve seen so far focus on one or the other. CURA is just end-to-end. This means that CURA makes the needed digital translation and automates and professionalises certain administrative processes.”

A collaboration was born

“When Lander asked me if I would like to contribute to CURA, I didn’t have to think twice about it. I therefore think it is important to go to companies with a good business case. What is strong about this solution is that after implementation you will earn it back in less than a year. Sometimes even faster, depending on how digital the processes were before the transition to a professional Transport Management System such as CURA. I know from experience that many logistics centers still often employ a lot of administrative staff. This is to carry out certain registrations or to put certain documents in order and to follow up certain processes on the site. This is of course financially intensive and it also leaves room for a lot of mistakes. With objective figures you can convince any company that this automation is a “no-brainer”. In any case, you have to keep in mind that the largest digitization will take place in the next 2-3 years, so you should not miss that boat. And as I see it, CURA is going to make a difference in the sector in a positive way. So you understand why I am so enthusiastic about sinking my teeth into this.”

So you have to invest to grow and professionalize, that is clear! Welcome on board, Bart!